In 2 Chronicles 35 King Josiah celebrates the Passover with all of the people. King Neco of Egypt comes against Judah. Josiah goes out to fight him. Neco tells him that he is coming at God’s command. God is speaking through Neco to have Josiah leave the battle but Josiah doesn’t listen and joins the battle at Megiddo. An archer shoots Josiah and kills him.

In 2  Chronicles 36 Josiah’s son Jehoahaz succeeds him. He only rules for three months before the King of Egypt deposes him.

Neco makes Jehoahaz’s brother Jehoiakim the king. He does evil in the sight of the Lord. King Nebuchadnezzar takes him and some of the vessels from the temple to Babylon. His brother Jehoiachin succeeds him.

Jehoiachin also does evil in God’s sight. Nebuchadnezzar brings him to Babylon and makes his brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem. Zedekiah also does evil. He is confronted by the prophet Jeremiah but is not humbled. He and the priests and people in Jerusalem pollute the house of God. God sends messengers but they mock them. God’s wrath comes upon all those who sin. He sends the king of the Chaldeans against them. The people are killed. The temple is burned and all the items for worship are taken to Babylon. Anyone who escapes death is exiled to Babylon. This fulfills the prophecy by Jeremiah that they would stay in exile until all the sabbaths they had defiled had been made up. This lasted 70 years. Jerusalem lays desolate for that entire time until it comes under the control of Persia. God moved King Cyrus of Persia to return the people to Judah and restore the temple in Jerusalem.

The people paid dearly for their sins. That generation pretty much passed away before they were able to return to Jerusalem and Judah. God used a Gentile to make this possible.

In Luke 1:39-80 Mary visits Elizabeth and Zechariah. Elizabeth’s unborn child recognizes Mary’s unborn child. Elizabeth knows that Mary’s child is the Lord. Mary praises God for what he is doing in her life.

Elizabeth gives birth to a son. At the circumcision Zechariah speaks for the first time in nine months and says that the child’s name is John. Zechariah begins to prophesy about how his son will prepare the people to meet the Lord through forgiveness of sins.

We see here the difference between a family line that rejects God and one that follows Him. One is filled with punishment and grief, the other is filled with blessing and joy.